Tell Congress: Don't Slash Wildlife Conservation

Congress is now formulating a comprehensive spending bill for the federal government -- and it's not looking good for our wildlife.

-- The House of Representatives has slashed funding for the Multinational Species Conservation Fund, denying threatened and endangered sea turtles vital habitat protections and inching these ancient seafarers even closer to extinction.

-- Congress is considering a 20% cut to programs that protect hundreds of threatened and endangered species -- animals like America's threatened polar bears. Without help, these beloved bears could disappear from our country by 2050.

-- The House is considering significant cuts to the already underfunded National Wildlife Refuge System -- a move that would threaten the survival of rare Sonoran pronghorns and hundreds of other species.

We need to ensure that the budget axe doesn't swing on our nation's most vulnerable wildlife and wild places.

Take action now -- tell Congress to stand up for wildlife and keep America's treasures off the chopping block.

Letter to

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

As a supporter of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and someone who cares about protecting America's natural treasures for future generations, I strongly urge you to ensure that any comprehensive spending bill for the federal government protects vital funding for conservation programs and remains free of anti-wildlife provisions.

Even in these tough economic times, our air, water, wildlife and public lands cannot be sacrificed.

As the House and Senate develop comprehensive federal spending legislation I urge you stand up for our wildlife and wild places as this legislation is shaped and negotiated.

Before the August recess, the House was considering many anti-wildlife riders that would be part of a funding bill for the Department of the Interior. These same riders are expected to be attached to a comprehensive federal spending bill.

For example, efforts are underway to block agency reviews of pesticides that would threaten clean water, endangered sea turtles and manatees, salmon and other imperiled wildlife.

Among other dangerous provisions...

* The House of Representatives has slashed funding for the Multinational Species Conservation Fund, denying threatened and endangered sea turtles vital habitat protections and inching these ancient seafarers even closer to extinction.* Congress is considering a 20% cut to programs that protect hundreds of threatened and endangered species -- animals like America's threatened polar bears. Without help, these beloved bears could disappear from our country by 2050.* The House is considering significant cuts to the already underfunded National Wildlife Refuge System -- a move that would threaten the survival of rare Sonoran pronghorns and hundreds of other species.

We need to ensure that the budget axe doesn't swing on our nation's most vulnerable wildlife and wild places.

Slashing vital programs that protect our wildlife and wild places is a terrible idea. These cuts will not only affect a sector of the economy that -- according to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation -- brings in $821 billion in revenues each year and employs hundreds of thousands of people, but these cuts will also bring more drastic and expensive regulations in the future to save our precious resources.

Simply put: Investments in wildlife conservation is good for our economy and our natural heritage.

The final spending bill will likely be developed behind closed doors, which means that any number of the damaging endangered species proposals now under consideration may find their way into so-called "omnibus spending legislation."

America's natural treasures are our children's birthright. I strongly urge you to stand tall for wildlife and reject attacks on vital conservation programs in any comprehensive federal spending bill.

Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to your prompt reply.